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Bridgewood BW-l05A www.wilkemachinery.com 717 -764-5000 Craftsman 21337 Delta 50-760 www.sears.com/craftsman www.deltamachinery.com 800-377-7414 800-438-2486 Delta 50-850 www.deltamachinery.com 800-438-2486 General 10-105 www.general.ca 819-472-1161 duct sized to allow intake turbulence to sort itself out while avoiding undue amounts of friction. I then took a series of airflow readings on each machine, fitting the open end of the duct with progressively smaller restrictor plates, which steadily raised static pressure and reduced velocity. The graph at right shows how each dust collector's air-volume figures dropped as the openings in the restrictors became smaller. Finally, I measured the noise each machine makes, taking readings 5 ft. from the motor and 5 ft. from the floor. All are very loud, from 79 to 85 decibels. With a dust collector in the shop, good hearing protection is a must. So, what should you buy? The Delta 50-760, the Grizzly, and the Jet delivered significantly better volume than the others, without sacrificing air velocity. I've designated them as the best overall machines. Of those three, I think the Delta also offers the best value. It's the only one that comes with a standard I-micron filter bag. You could outfit the Grizzly and the Jet with comparable bags, but that would add about $75 to the cost. Penn State Industries (which also sells its own dust collector) and Woodworker's Supply are two sources for I-micron bags. Penn State also has a I-micron cartridge compatible with the Jet; it won't fit the Grizzly collector, however. The other machines fall too quickly below the 800-dm threshold for effective dust pickup, or they never achieve that volume in the first place. D Michael Standish is a writer and woodworker in West Roxbury, Mass. 42 FINE WOODWORKI G How the dust collectors performed Each line In the graph describes the performance of one dust collector In my tests. The highest cfm readings for each collector are with a wlde-open duct. The air-handling capability dropped as I gradually restricted the opening leading to the collector's Intake port, Increasing the static pressure. As a practical matter, a dust collector needs to provide 800 cfm or more In order to move all the dust, chips, and shavings that machines like tablesaws, Jointers, and planers produce. The best collectors start above that baseline and stay above It the longest. The X-value Illustrated below on one of the most powerful machines represents how much resistance (static pressure) can be added before a machine's performance falls below 800 cfm. The author's picks have the largest X-values. In general, air volume on a machine with a 6-ln. Intake port drops at a slower rate than on a 5-ln. model. In the shop, that Inherent difference means that a 6-ln. machine has the capacity to handle slightly longer hose. - 1000 - Bridgewood Craftsman Delta 50-760 Delta 50-850 General Grizzly 600 JDS Jet - 800 rx"'oo Penn State Industries Shop Fox 400 1 5 Static pressure (inches) 6 7 8